On Earth Day, the United States stood poised to make the most significant strides on climate change since Al Gore lost Florida. It's about time. The vast majority of scientific research tells us that climate change is real and that human activity is a major contributing factor. The country needs to finally develop a real strategy to deal with it.

And it's doing so: The Obama administration and a Democratic-controlled Congress are proposing changes that when enacted and enforced are expected to fuel major reductions in the production of greenhouse gases. Two efforts are key to this.

Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposed finding that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. If finalized, the so-called "endangerment finding" would allow the EPA to use the Clean Air Act to limit heat-trapping emissions. That's a move opposed by industry groups, and we agree with them - sort of.

The strategy and limitations on emissions are better done by a Congress that can work out political details that need to be addressed. Holding a healthy debate in Congress and making necessary compromises is better than allowing a bureaucrat to issue a decree.

Still, if Congress fails to act, the EPA under President Barack Obama will need to do something to meet the goals of significantly reducing emissions by 2050.

This week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee is holding hearings on a draft bill introduced by Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey, D-Mass. Obama and Democratic congressional leaders are hoping to finalize legislation this year that would establish a program requiring a mandatory cap on greenhouse gas emissions.

The Waxman-Markey draft seeks to curb emissions by 20 percent by 2020. That's more aggressive than the limits Obama has proposed, but both the Waxman-Markey draft and Obama's plan call for a mid-century target of slashing emissions by 83 percent.

Good goals, but the devil will be in the details of how proposed cap-and-trade legislation will work. One detail many have sounded warnings about is the cost or cap-and-trade. Such a detail deserve attention, but the bottom line has to be a serious strategy to significantly reduce emissions before it's too late.

REPRINTED FROM THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL.